High density multi node computer with improved efficiency, thermal control, and compute performance

ABSTRACT

A multi-node computer system, comprising: a plurality of nodes, a system control unit and a carrier board. Each node of the plurality of nodes comprises a processor and a memory. The system control unit is responsible for: power management, cooling, workload provisioning, native storage servicing, and I/O. The carrier board comprises a system fabric and a plurality of electrical connections. The electrical connections provide the plurality of nodes with power, management controls, system connectivity between the system control unit and the plurality of nodes, and an external network connection to a user infrastructure. The system control unit and the carrier board provide integrated, shared resources for the plurality of nodes. The multi-node computer system is provided in a single enclosure.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/634,441, filed Dec. 9, 2009, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/238,084, filed Aug. 28, 2009. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/634,441 is incorporated by reference inits entirety herein as if it were put forth in full below.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention generally relates to computer systems, and moreparticularly to network-centric computer architectures, that make use ofcomponents from consumer electronics including sub-5 W low powerprocessors, which provide improvements in power, space and cooling.

BACKGROUND

With the increasing popularity and advantages of paperless technology,digital information storage and information management through the useof data centers has emerged as an arguably essential part of commerce,communications, education, and government functionality. A data center,or server farm, provides the necessary computer systems required fordata processing, data storage, telecommunications and Internetconnectivity. Data centers have become ubiquitous and are found inbanking, entertainment, news outlets, high-technology industry,universities, and governmental institutions, to name just a few. Theseand others like them operate or make use of such data centers to aid inbusiness transactions, information management, telecommunications, dataprocessing demands.

With the growth in popularity and use of paperless technology, the useof data centers has grown as well. Demands on data centers areincreasing with the increased use of electronic transaction in banking,the popularity of internet communications and entertainment, the risinguse of electronic medical records, as well as the growth seen ine-commerce, to list but a few of the many factors. Since 2000, accordingto an EPA report to Congress, increasing demand for computer resourceshas led to significant growth in the number of data center servers,along with an estimated 5× increase in the energy used by these serversand the power and cooling infrastructure that supports them. The EPAreport notes that this five-fold increase in energy use translates intoincreased energy costs, increased emissions from electricity generationswith accompanying greenhouse gas emissions, along with the added strainto the current power grid required to meet this increased powerrequirement, not to mention the added capital expenses required for theexpansion of current data center capability as well as cost associatedwith the construction of new data centers.

Therefore, with the rising interest in improved energy efficiency in allsectors of society, there has also been mounting interest in improvingthe energy efficiency of data centers as well. Several new technologiesproviding energy efficiency solutions include blade servers and adaptivecooling. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), bladeserver shipment will exceed 40% of world wide server shipments by 2013.However, all the improvements are incremental and evolutionary. It isclear that in order to bring the power consumption down to the 2000level, new breakthroughs in system technology and architecture areneeded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, a multi-node computer systemcomprises a plurality of nodes, a system control unit and a carrierboard. Each node of the plurality of nodes comprises a processor and amemory. The system control unit is responsible for: power management,cooling control, workload provisioning, native storage servicing, andI/O. The carrier board comprises a system fabric and a plurality ofelectrical connections. The electrical connections provide the pluralityof nodes with power, management controls, system connectivity betweenthe system control unit and the plurality of nodes, and an externalnetwork connection to a user infrastructure. The system control unit andthe carrier board provide integrated, shared resources for the pluralityof nodes. The multi-node computer system is provided in a singleenclosure.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the multi-nodecomputer system further comprises a single-system power supply. Thecarrier board further comprises a plurality of electrical connections,wherein the plurality of nodes is arranged on the carrier board, each toa respective electrical connection. The power supply provides a singlevoltage level to the plurality of nodes, each node individuallyconverting the voltage.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of nodesare arranged vertically on the carrier board in a first row of nodes anda second row of nodes. The first row of nodes is orientated differentlyfrom the second row of nodes. The rows of nodes form channels betweenthe nodes. The plurality of channels is divided into a plurality ofzones, each zone comprising at least one channel. A plurality of fansprovide fan-forced air for cooling the plurality of nodes by forcing airdown the channels, each fan providing fan-forced air for at least onezone.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a node of themulti-node computer system further comprises: a processor requiring lessthan 5 watts; a memory; a memory controller; an I/O chipset; a systeminterconnect; and a service processor. The node uses less than 50 wattsand is incapable of independent operation. The node connects to acarrier board as one of a plurality of nodes of a multi-node computersystem in a single enclosure. Each node has no individual enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a multi-node computerin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a NanoCompute Unit (NCU) inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a 2-chip NanoCompute Unit (NCU)implementation in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a System Control Unit (SCU) inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a 2-chip System Control Unit(SCU) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is block diagram illustrating a NanoCompute Center SoftwareDesign/Architecture implementation in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 is block diagram illustrating a GreenMachine Carrier board (GMC)in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a 3D exploded view of a 20-NCU GreenMachine implementation,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram illustrating a prior art power supplydistribution implementation, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8C is a block diagram illustrating a single voltage sourcedistribution implementation in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 8D and 8E are a side-view and top-view, respectively, illustratingthe placement of NanoCompute Units to create cooling channels betweenthe NanoCompute Units in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a laptop computer incorporating an upgradeable NCU inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a scaled down version of GreenMachine as a HomeGateway Appliance in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a 3D illustration of rack-frame packaging of twelveGreenMachines in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;and

FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate a GreenMachine Memory-based Fabric Architectureimplementation in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with thepreferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intendedto limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications andequivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in thefollowing detailed description of embodiments of the present invention,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be recognizedby one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knownmethods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described indetail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of thepresent invention.

Notation and Nomenclature:

Some portions of the detailed descriptions, which follow, are presentedin terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and othersymbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computermemory. These descriptions and representations are the means used bythose skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. A procedure,computer executed step, logic block, process, etc., is here, andgenerally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps orinstructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiringphysical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, andotherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to thesesignals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present invention,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “accessing” or“executing” or “storing” or “rendering” or the like, refer to the actionand processes of a computer system (e.g., multi-node computer system 10of FIG. 1), or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates andtransforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities withinthe computer system's registers and memories and other computer readablemedia into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices. When a componentappears in several embodiments, the use of the same reference numeralsignifies that the component is the same component as illustrated in theoriginal embodiment.

In the last 40 years, there have been waves of computing architectures.From mainframe to mini-computers to RISC workstations and servers to thecurrent x86 systems: each new wave has ushered in significantimprovements in performance, price and power. Considering the enormousinvestments that have gone into technology development for low powerprocessor and flash memory targeting consumer devices such as iPhones™,netbooks, mobile internet devices (MIDs), and digital video cameras,etc., it is becoming apparent that the next wave will be based on thesefundamental consumer electronics technologies.

GreenMachine

The GreenMachine™ multi-node computer system is an I/O andNetwork-centric architecture targeting 10× or more improvement in power,space and cooling over current computer architectures. A multi-nodecomputer system comprises a plurality of nodes, an individual node foreach user. A single user may use/control a single node or several nodesat a time. Each node comprises random access memory and separateprocessing resources defined by the capabilities of the individualnodes. The processing subsystem (of each node) of the GreenMachine isbased on the type of low power processors which are in smartphones/mobile internet device, and flash memory technology. The initialtarget market is Cloud Computing, because of the I/O, low powerrequirements, and computing performance. GreenMachine may also bedeployed in other key verticals including Thin Client/Virtual Desktop,Database, Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence and Business Analytics,and High Performance Computing (HPC).

FIG. 1 illustrates a multi-node computer system 10 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Each GreenMachine multi-nodecomputer system 10 is comprised of modular building blocks calledNanoCompute Units™ (NCUs) 100, which are interconnected via a carrierboard utilizing a dual redundant scalable system fabric called aGreenMachine Carrier™ (GMC) 600. The NCUs 100 are individual nodes ofthe multi-node computer system. In the present invention, each nodefunctions as a “separate” computer system with its own physicallyseparate processor and memory, while other resources (e.g. power,cooling, I/O, etc.), as discussed further below, are shared among thenodes. A management subsystem, called a System Control Unit (SCU) 300,is responsible for power management, cooling, workload provisioning,native storage serving, and I/O. The GMC 600 provides power, managementcontrols, and system connectivity between the SCU 300 and the NCUs 100,and an external network connection to the user infrastructure. The SCU300 and the GMC 600 provide integrated shared resources for theplurality of NCUs 100.

There are two existing types of computer systems which featuresuperficial similarities to the GreenMachine multi-node computer system10. Clusters of blade servers are also comprised of modularcomputational building blocks connected via system fabrics, and oftenalso contain a management subsystem. However, the GreenMachine 10uniquely differs in that: 1) all building blocks are housed within asingle enclosure, as opposed to being a collection of individuallyhoused components; and 2) the entire GreenMachine enclosure requires afraction of the power, space, and cost of an equivalently equipped bladesystem. Multi-node computers, which are less common, may also consist ofmultiple modular computing elements inside a single enclosure. There areseveral differences between a GreenMachine multi-node computer 10 andexisting multi-node computers, however. First, the GreenMachine 10contains mechanisms to interconnect its multiple NCUs 100 within the GMC600 without requiring external cabling and additional switches. Further,the GreenMachine 10 contains management subsystems to facilitate theoperation and ease of use of the nodes. And lastly, the GreenMachine 10contains several times the number of nodes as compared to any othermulti-node computer today, while consuming less power and space. TheGreenMachine 10 is the first multi-node computer to provide its featuresand functionality in such a compact power, space, and cost footprint.

There are also several advantages that the GreenMachine 10 enjoys overconventional computer systems using virtual environments for multipleusers. Because each user under GreenMachine is provided an individualNCU 100, rather than a partitioned fraction of the total processingresources as a virtual computer, there is consistency and improved faultisolation. Regardless of the number of users, the processing resourcesavailable to the users on a GreenMachine 10 will not vary, but theresources available to a user utilizing a virtual computing environmentmay vary based on the aggregate processing demands of the users.Further, should a processor fail in a virtual computing environment,multiple users may be affected, while in the GreenMachine system 10,when an NCU 100 fails, only a single user is affected.

The various components of the GreenMachine 10 (e.g. NCUs 100, SCU 200,and GMC 600) will now be discussed in greater detail. Following adetailed description of the components of the GreenMachine 10, thearchitecture, physical assembly, efficient cooling implementation, andsingle-source power supply distribution of the GreenMachine will bediscussed, followed by a discussion of further GreenMachine embodiments.

NanoCompute Unit (NCU)

FIG. 2 illustrates a NanoCompute Unit (NCU) 100 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The NCU 100 comprises: a mainprocessor 102, a memory controller 104, a random access memory 105, achipset 106, a system interconnect 108, and a service processor 110. Ina further embodiment, a co-processor 112 (e.g. graphics processor unitand floating point arithmetic unit) and/or a network processor 114 maybe included to offload the NCU main processor 102 and enhanceapplication performance. The NCU 100 is processor independent. The NCU100 will support sub-5 W processors such as Intel's Atom™ and ARMprocessors. The chipset 106 connects the main processor 102 to memory104. The service processor 110 provides system console access with videoand USB for remote client devices for example, a keyboard, mouse, andDVD/CD ROM, etc. A network interconnect is implemented through anEthernet network interface (NIC). The Ethernet network interfaceoptionally includes the network processor 114. The network processor 114offloads the NCU main processor 102 with a network protocol offloadengine. For reliability, each NCU 100 is equipped with at least two highspeed system interfaces (1 Gbps or faster) on the Ethernet networkinterface. These interfaces could be network interconnects (e.g.Ethernet) or I/O interconnects (e.g. PCIe). The service processor 110 isconnected to the System Control Unit (SCU) 300 and provides IPMI 2.0management via a dedicated network interface or IPMB. KVM and USBredirection for the NCU 100 are provided via the dedicated networkinterface on the service processor 110. The service processor 110includes a built-in Ethernet controller with a single dedicated networkinterface which connects to external networks through the GreenMachinecarrier 600. Like a standard computer, each NCU 100 runs its ownoperating system instance. Combined with the remote client devices, eachNCU 100 will function as a single node of the multi-node computer system10. No NCU 100 local connections or I/O ports are exposed externallyoutside of the GreenMachine 10.

Unable to function independently as a stand-alone computer (lacking anintegrated power supply, fans, and storage, for example . . . ), andunlike stand-alone computers or many server blade configurations, thebare-bones NCU 100 enjoys a low wattage requirement threshold. Utilizingsub-5 W processors, with further reduced processing requirements for theprocessors, each individual NCU 100 will use no more than 35-50 watts.

The current trend is to integrate key chipset functions such as a memorycontroller into the main processor leveraging high density processtechnologies (e.g. 32 nm), which are fueling the consumer electronicswave. The NCU may be implemented as a single chip or 2-chip solution.FIG. 3 illustrates a 2-chip NCU 200 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The NCU 200 is implemented as a 2-chip solutionwith a first chip 210 integrating a memory controller 104, a randomaccess memory 105, and a GPU 112 with a main processor 102, with therest of the NCU's 200 components integrated in the second chip 220comprising: an I/O chipset 106, a Service Processor 110, a SystemInterconnect 108, and a Network Processor 114. The second chip alsoprovides boot support, either through the I/O chipset 106 connected to aboot device (e.g., a hard drive or other storage media), or by a networkprocessor connected through the network interface in the serviceprocessor 110 to a remote boot device.

System Control Unit (SCU)

The System Control Unit (SCU) is responsible for power management,cooling control, workload provisioning, native storage serving, and I/O.The SCU runs a custom system firmware called NanoCompute Center (NCC).FIG. 4 illustrates a system control unit 300 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The SCU 300 comprises: a mainprocessor 302, a memory controller 304, a random access memory 305, achipset 306, and a system interconnect 308. In a further implementation,a service processor 310 is also provided. In a further implementation, aNetwork Processor 312 may also be included to offload the NCU mainprocessor 102 and enhance application performance. Network offloadingindirectly enhances application performance. The network offloading willassist the SCU in providing services, such as shared storage, to NCUs.The higher quality service will result in improved applicationperformance. In addition, the SCU 300 provides internal storageinterfaces through the I/O chipset 106 (e.g. SATA), system switchfabrics management interfaces through a serial port located on the I/Ochipset 106, high speed storage network interfaces through the networkinterfaces of the network processor 114, and externally accessible I/Oports through the I/O chipset 106 (e.g. Video, USB, etc.).

The current trend is to integrate key chipset functions such asintegrating the memory controller into the main processor, leveraginghigh density process technologies (e.g. 32 nm), which are fueling theconsumer electronics wave. Therefore, the SCU can also be implemented asa single or 2-chip solution. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the SCU 400 maybe implemented as a 2-chip solution with a first chip 410 integrating amemory controller 304 and a random access memory 305 with a mainprocessor 302, while the rest of the components of the SCU 400 areintegrated in a second chip 420 comprising: a chipset 306, a serviceprocessor 310, a system interconnect 308 and a network processor 312.The second chip 420 also provides boot support).

NanoCompute Center (NCC)

The SCU 300 runs a custom system firmware called NanoCompute Center™(NCC). The main software and firmware components, as well as theirsub-components, are illustrated in FIG. 6, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The software and firmwarecomponents and sub-components comprise open source, 3rd party software,as well as software developed specifically for the NCC. The NanoComputeCenter comprises: BASH/SSHD utilities, an Apache Httpd server; CommandLine Interface (CLI); a Graphical User Interface (GUI); CentOS 5Linex+NanoCompute Center; and an NCC Core. The NCC Core comprises thefollowing modules: NCC, SCU and NCU Config File/Objects, NanoBlade Boot;NCU Interface/Access; NCU Updates; SCU updates; and NBC/Chassis Manager.The NanoBlade Boot comprises a Logical Volume Manager (LVM); a DHCPServer and an iSCSI-SCST Target. The iSCSI-SCST Target communicates withNCU Software comprising Applications and an Operating System. The NCUInterface/Access comprises: an IPMI Client and a KVM/vMedia Client, bothcommunicating with Service Processors of the NCU Firmware. The NCUUpdates comprise an Update Director and a Maintenance OS, theMaintenance OS communicating with a BIOS and an Option ROM of the NCUFirmware. The SCU Updates comprise: Firmware Tools, and an Image dd/GrubApplication. The Firmware Tools communicating with the SCU BIOS of theGM Firmware, and the Image dd/Grub Application communicating with theCentOS 5 Linux+NanoCompute Center. The NBC/Chassis Manager comprises aSwitch Manager and a Chassis Manager, the Switch Manager communicatingwith a Switch EEPROM/SDK of the GM Firmware

GreenMachine Carrier (GMC)

NCUs 100 and the SCU 300 physically plug into slots, containingelectrical connections, on the GMC 600. Each slot provides power,management controls, system connectivity between the SCU 300 and theNCUs 100, and an external network connection to the user infrastructure.As illustrated in FIG. 7, a 3-switch implementation includes two highspeed switch fabrics S1, S2 for system connectivity with the pluralityof NCUs 100 and the SCU 300, and a switch fabric S3 for a serviceprocessor network. The three switch fabrics S1, S2, S3 provide furtherconnectivity with Gig-Es (Gigabit Ethernet, sometimes known as 1000Base-T) and 10 g Ethernet through physical layers (PHY). The physicallayers provide an interface between the switch fabrics S1, S2, and S3and the high-speed network connections.

For enterprise robustness, a management processor 604 controls the GMCswitch fabrics S1, S2, S3. The management processor 604 runs its ownfirmware, and can configure the QoS, ACL, and other fabric policies. TheSCU system switch management interface on the SCU 300, is connected tothe GMC switch management processor 604.

System switch fabrics management interfaces may be implemented eitherwith simple RS232 or network interface (e.g. Ethernet), or I/O businterface (e.g. PCI, PCIe), with any of these interfaces connecting tothe management processor 604. The SCU management bus, connecting to theI/O chipset 306 of the SCU 300, is operating in an IPMB multi-mastermode connecting to the NCU service processors 110.

Therefore, GreenMachine 10 provides built-in high bandwidth, redundantinterconnections for nodes of a multi-node computer in a singledesktop/server sized enclosure. Unlike standard multi-node computerswhich require additional external cabling and switches to interconnecttheir nodes in a network, GreenMachine 10 integrates the dual-redundantswitch fabric S1, S2 on the GMC 600 inside the enclosure. EachGreenMachine 10 also contains the high speed external uplink ports (e.g.Gig-Es and 10G SFP+) for connecting directly to other GreenMachines 10and external networks.

GreenMachine 10 provides remote client access of a multi-node computerin a single desktop/server enclosure. Each node of a traditionalmulti-node computer contains its own keyboard, mouse, and video ports.These are either connected to individual external devices, or aggregatedvia external switches. GreenMachine 10 uniquely integrates remotemanagement technologies typically found only in high end servers andblade systems. Each NCU 100 contains a KVM-over-IP microcontrollerconnected to a dedicated switch fabric S3, also internal to theGreenMachine 10. The microcontroller compresses video and USB, allowingdevices such as desktops, laptops, or thin clients to access andinteract with NCUs 100 as if they were local. This design also allows asingle set of monitor, keyboard, and peripherals connected to the GM toaccess all NCUs 100.

Green Machine Layout

The unique advantages of the GreenMachine 10 architecture (e.g.unprecedented power, space, and computational efficiency) are the resultof High Density Multi-Computer System packaging. FIG. 8A illustrates a20-NCU GreenMachine 10 implementation. The NCUs 100 and SCU 300 appearas cards plugged vertically into the GMC board 600, in a bottom-planeorientation, unlike the boards of conventional multi node computerswhich typically lay horizontally on the same plane as one another.Unlike blade servers, all GreenMachine cards 100, 300 are contained in asingle chassis 718 roughly the size of a standard desktop computer. TheNCUs 100 have no individual enclosures. Thus, each card 100 can bespaced only a few centimeters away from adjacent cards 100. In anembodiment of the present invention, each card 100 is approximately 2centimeters away from adjacent cards 100. A mechanical harness 702 formultiple vertically-oriented CPU cards provides rigidity in the absenceof the individual enclosures for each card 100. The cards 100 sharecooling, power, networking, and storage subsystems also contained withinthe same chassis 718. In addition to providing high density packingthrough this unique approach, the GreenMachine 10 design also providescable-less connectivity with the NCUs 100 and tool-less service. Asdiscussed below, a single power supply 716 distributes a single voltageto all GreenMachine components, while low-RPM fans 708 within thechassis 718 provide highly efficient cooling, with the fans drawing airthrough a front bezel 720 fastened to the chassis 718. Finally, a topcover 722 provided over the mechanical harness 702, a back panel 724providing access to network and I/O connections on the GMC 600, alongwith the chassis 718, seals in the entire GreenMachine multi-nodecomputer system 10 into a single enclosure.

Efficient Shared Storage

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine provides a dynamicallyreconfigurable and highly efficient integrated storage facility in amulti-node computer in a single desktop/server sized enclosure. Standardmulti-node computers, blade servers, and other existing types ofcomputers support either fixed direct-connected storage per node, orflexibly assigned external storage. GreenMachine allows a dynamicinternal storage configuration by using the SCU 300 as an iSCSI storageserver for the NCUs 100 in its enclosure, a unique feature for amulti-node system in a single enclosure. As further illustrated in FIG.8A, The SCU 300 directly connects to an array of disks 706, from whichit can create and assign logical volumes (Nano Disks) to NCUs 100.GreenMachine 10 drastically improves the efficiency of physical storagesharing among its NCUs 100 through Copy-On-Write (COW) Nano Disk Clonetechnology. This technology optimizes disk space usage and accessperformance when multiple NCUs 100 run similar operating systems andapplications. For each Nano Disk the SCU 300 creates, it may optionallyallow access from multiple NCUs 100. Each NCU 100 may access the NanoDisk as if it were a dedicated, non-shared resource. For each authorizedNCU 100, the SCU 300 creates a virtual storage device consisting of theoriginal Nano Disk and a much smaller writable volume. When an NCU 100writes data, the SCU 300 redirects the changed data blocks to itswritable volume. When an NCU 100 reads data, the SCU 300 provides thedata from a combination of the original Nano Disk and writable volumes,as needed. In addition, the SCU 300 employs algorithms optimized for thecharacteristics of solid state disks 706.

Single-Source Power Distribution

The above described advantages are further improved through anefficient, shared power distribution scheme for a multi-node computer 10in a single desktop/server enclosure. The GreenMachine multi-nodecomputer 10 achieves superior power efficiency not feasible in othersystem designs by reducing the number of power supplies and AC-DCconversions, and optimizing the length of power circuitry throughout asystem. A single (or two for redundancy) power supply per enclosuresupplies a single system voltage to all NCUs 100, the SCU 300 andcomponents of the GMC 600. This uniform voltage then undergoes powerconversion at each individual point of load. As illustrated in FIG. 8B,a single power supply 716 supplies a single system voltage to each NCU100, where a DC-DC converter 730 converts the single voltage at thepoint of load for each NCU 100.

FIG. 8C illustrates a conventional, prior art, system design using apower supply distributing multiple voltage levels to system components.Using a traditional ATX form factor power supply 752 with a plurality ofsystem voltages 754 (e.g. 3.3V and 5V rails) provided to systemcomponents 756, requires a resultant, necessary limitation on the numberof loads served by each rail of the power supply 752, varying accordingto the power rating for each rail 754. In other words, multiple ATXpower supplies 752, with the resultant increase in power consumption,would be required to provide power to a 20-NCU 100 GreenMachine 10,rather than the single power supply of the present invention, asillustrated in FIG. 8B.

GreenMachine Power Efficiencies

GreenMachine 10 further reduces power wastage by providing standby powerto components only when necessary. This standby power scheme is enabledby the management subsystem 604 which includes power FETs operated by amicrocontroller. GreenMachine 10 also eliminates miscellaneous powerdevices such as CMOS batteries, by using microcontrollers to synchronizethe real time clocks on each NCU 100, rather than providing a real timeclock back-up battery for each NCU 100.

GreenMachine further provides advanced power management for a multi-nodecomputer 10 in a single desktop/server enclosure. GreenMachine 10compacts the power management capabilities previously found only in highend blade systems into a form that desktop/workstation sized multi-nodesystems can effectively benefit from. It accomplishes this byincorporating a compact SCU 300 board into the GreenMachine 10, whichcan intelligently orchestrate power sharing, power sequencing, andoptimization.

Ultra-Efficient Cooling

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine 10 provides an ultra efficientcooling design for a multi-node computer in a single desktop/serversized enclosure. The physical design of an implementation of theGreenMachine 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 8A, 8D, and 8E allows for aminimal number of low-cost, quiet, low-RPM fans 708 to adequately coolall the cards 100 in an enclosure. The tightly packed NCUs 100 form rowsof thin, natural air channels 710 without the need for additionalducting. The air channels 710 are 2 centimeters wide, which representsthe spacing between NCUs 100. The cooling channels 710 are formedbetween the rows of NCUs 100 to provide effective layers of air flowingpast the NCUs 100 through the cooling channels 710. Further, asillustrated in FIG. 8A, the NCUs 100 are flipped in orientation betweenthe two rows of cards 100 so that the NCUs 100 of the first row do noteasily conduct heat to the following row of NCUs 100. Low profile heatsinks 712, illustrated in FIGS. 8D and 8E, in each channel 710 allow theentire volume of air flow to effectively draw heat away from criticalcomponents, as opposed to other mechanical designs which require eithermore airflow, colder airflow, additional materials used in ducting orheat piping, or all of the above. The cooling channels 710 with the lowprofile heat sinks 712 provide a highly efficient cooling environment,as an optimal amount of air molecules are able to efficiently contactthe heat sink surfaces 712.

A micro-controller on the GMC 600 further optimizes the efficiency ofGreenMachine's 10 cooling. It reads temperature sensors 714 located inevery cooling channel 710, and can control multiple fans 708 eachserving independent channels 710, or zones Z1, Z2 of channels 710. Thesensors 714 may be located on the NCUs 100 themselves, or near each NCU100 slot on the GMC 600. For the highest accuracy, the temperaturesensors 714 are placed on the NCUs 100 directly.

This ultra-efficient cooling design differs from standard multi-node,desktop, server, or workstation cooling designs which do not feature asingle cooling subsystem controlling multiple independent cooling/zonesand fans 714. By dividing the internal area into zones Z1, Z2, themicro-controller may efficiently control the cooling of the GreenMachine10 by increasing the RPM of individual fans 708 to meet the coolingrequirements of a particular zone Z1, Z2, based on the temperaturesensors 714 in the cooling channels 710 of the particular zone Z1, Z2,while lowering the RPM of other fans 708 as the cooling requirements oftheir assigned zones Z1, Z2 allow it.

Thermal Control

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine 10 provides an ultra efficientcooling design for a multi-node computer in a single desktop/serversized enclosure using an active thermal control technique. Well-knowncomputer system thermal control techniques involve passive functions,such as thermally-conductive packaging, physical openings in theenclosure to promote air flow, forced air flow with fans, and fins andheat sinks used to enlarge surface areas for air cooling. With theexception of limited clocking and, occasionally, fan control, thesetechniques are essentially passive in nature and are not adjustable tomeet real-time needs.

Using current technology, an enclosure of a computer system typically isdesigned with a maximum heat dissipation capability in mind, whichstrongly influences the components and compute-capability supported bythe enclosure. One general approach to thermal planning and control isto identify a maximum operating temperature for the enclosure, and thenlimit the components in the enclosure to the specific configuration thatwill generate the maximum operating temperature, and also require thatall components in the enclosure have the ability to operate at thatmaximum temperature. As a result, peak theoretical thermal drain isoften a key limiting factor in overall system capability and design.

According to some embodiments, GreenMachine 10 provides an ultraefficient cooling design for a multi-node computer using extensiveinstrumentation and granular thermal control of the computer system.This constitutes a fundamentally different approach to thermal planningand control that enables maximum compute-capability for a givenfootprint, and supports the use of a broader range of components thanwould otherwise be possible using traditional thermal planning andcontrol schemes.

In addition to utilizing the standard thermal control techniquesenumerated above (e.g., thermally-conductive packaging, physicalopenings in the enclosure to promote air flow, forced air flow withfans, fins and heat sinks, adjusting CPU clock-rate, and fan control),embodiments of the present invention include additional thermalmanagement technology. For example, components may be strategicallyarranged within an enclosure to manipulate where air flows and where aircontacts the blades. Redundant fans may be used to better cool certaincomponents or to adjust where air flows and where air contacts theblades, as necessary.

According to some embodiments, a multi-parameter approach to temperaturemonitoring is employed. Temperatures are directly measured usingtemperature measurement sensors located on NCUs, control units, the mainboard, I/O units, switch units, and throughout the enclosure. The mainboard and the enclosure may include multiple temperature measurementsensors for redundancy and to measure temperature differences acrossmultiple zones. Temperature may be indirectly monitored using a loggedmeasurements of voltage throughput and voltage spikes and/or drops. Fanspeed and airflow over time may also be considered when indirectlymonitoring temperature.

According to some embodiments, detailed temperature profiles are createdand may include spatial, temporal, and workload-based parameters. Atemperature profile may be created for specific sections or zones of theoverall enclosure, as well as for individual components. The durationand/or timing of application usage may be considered to create a thermalprofile based on workload requirements for specific applications. Otherfactors considered when creating a detailed temperature profile mayinclude time-of-day (TOD) operation and weather-related data, which isparticularly critical for outdoor or remote locations. Other informationincluded in a detailed temperature profile may be based on ratedspecification information relating to a components' thermalrequirements, both operational and standby. The temperature profile datamay be used to establish a thermal profile over time.

Extensive temperature monitoring and temperature profile creationenhances the performance and operation of the GreenMachine 10 in severalways. For example, real-time condition-based control of the thermalenvironment based on the temperature monitoring and temperature profilesmay be used to allocate specific components and resources to specificapplications, thereby matching the application's temperature profilerequirements with the temperature profiles of individual components andtheir location in the overall enclosure, and enabling the CPU clock-rateand other load-adjustable components to be adjusted based on thermalconditions.

The temperature monitoring and temperature profile creation also supportlifetime thermal control for avoiding thermal excursions, and ensuringthat both the components and the overall enclosure are kept within theappropriate ranges for the appropriate amount of time, thus increasinglifetime and maximizing mean time between failures (MTBF). Forpersistent loads, the control system may utilize standard mechanisms forlong-term de-clocking of individual processors and other load-adjustablecomponents. The use of temperature monitoring and temperature profilecreation reduces the amount of in-field maintenance required for thesystem because the thermal wear and stress on the system is mitigated.

Thermal history is used to determine which components are to be takenoffline or replaced, estimate the likelihood of future failure, andextend components' lifetimes by adjusting future load. Furthermore,power usage may be reduced by operating only the components needed atthe time, and by adjusting cooling on the fly to avoid over-use ofcooling power when not needed.

According to some embodiments, extended temperature profiles may be usedwith other enclosures (e.g., other green machines) located in horizontalor vertical proximity within a rack or larger enclosure.

The use of temperature monitoring and temperature profiles enablesGreenMachine 10 to support the inclusion and use of compute, storage andI/O resources and capabilities beyond what would otherwise be supportedin an enclosure. This maximizes performance of the system and isaccomplished through the active power management of the system asdescribed herein. In the absence of active power management, thecapacity of the enclosure and cooling system will be exceeded when allcomponents are fully active.

Temperature monitoring and temperature profile creation enables the useof some components that otherwise would not be compatible with theenclosure, due to component thermal limits, for example. Differenttemperature profiles may be created within the same enclosure andspecific components may be disposed in locations that meet therequirements for the component. Temperature monitoring and temperatureprofile creation also enables partial shutdown of the system, or aparticular section of the enclosure, while continuing normal operationelsewhere in the enclosure. Immediate maintenance is not required in thecase of partial shutdown, and other components are not disrupted.

According to some embodiments, additional thermal controls areimplemented to mitigate the effects of heat within the enclosure. Forexample, fans can be activated, and their speed controlled according toreal-time thermal requirements. According to some embodiments the fansare controlled by a low-power microcontroller to avoid CPU overhead, andthe primary control unit does not use the CPUs in nano-compute units.When housekeeping functions are performed by the control unit and/ordistributed microcontrollers, the NCU CPUs are able to focus onexecuting applications and additional CPU drain due to housekeeping islimited.

Many components draw high power momentarily upon boot-up and initiation,and draw less power when in operation. A boot sequence may be used tocontrol timing and allocation of component initialization/activation toavoid thermal excursions. Many components can be taken offline orbrought online on the fly, thus eliminating the need for constanton-state power drain.

The NCUs 100 also include thermal control sensors and may be configuredto shut down individually if their temperature exceeds a specifiedtemperature threshold. As an additional safety factor, the GreenMachine10 can shut down a particular component if a part of the overallenclosure becomes overheated, without shutting down the entire system.Thermal controls and shutdown are used at the main board level and thepower supply level to prevent fire or severe damage to the system.

Latency and Jitter Mitigation

Standard multi-node computer systems typically assign most housekeepingtasks to the CPU that is responsible for performing applicationprocesses, thus contributing directly to the problem of latency andjitter. According to some embodiments, GreenMachine 10 executesapplications independent of housekeeping chores, even when housekeepingrequirements increase over time. Separate control units are utilized tohandle different tasks. Primary housekeeping chores, including thermalmanagement, are performed by a separate control unit, rather than theNCU CPUs. Other housekeeping chores are performed by individualmicrocontrollers, such as the fan microcontrollers on the backplane, forexample. The I/O controller also handles some communication functionsthat would ordinarily be handled by the application CPU. In addition,security tasks may also be handled by a separate security unit.

Offloading housekeeping chores enables an application to run on adedicated CPU. There is minimum interruption and minimum sharing ofcycles for management and housekeeping tasks, thereby significantlyreducing the need for time-slicing and increasing system performance.Because communication pathways within an enclosure may potentiallycontribute to latency and jitter, GreenMachine 10 includes asufficiently rapid network and includes two paths to memory and twopaths to each NCU within the enclosure.

According to some embodiments, the NCUs 100 include onboard memory andmay access shared memory, where the onboard memory is capable of storingan instance of an operating system (e.g., Windows, Unix, Linux, OS X,etc.). This minimizes boot time and the time required to make computeresources available for other tasks. When an application is ready forinitialization on an NCU, the control system can load either a baseoperating system to the NCU, or an operating system image pre-configuredwith certain configuration settings (e.g., what resources are available,what resources can be allocated for the particular application, etc.). Abase operating system typically must perform dozens or hundreds ofhousekeeping checks before the operating system is ready to run anapplication. By loading a pre-configured image, housekeeping tasks maybe significantly reduced or eliminated.

Virtualization

According to some embodiments, GreenMachine 10 uses a granular approachto both hardware and software resource allocation to reduce latency andjitter, allocate resources to specific applications, reduce CPU andsystem costs, reduce power consumption and cooling, improve upgradepaths, and improve reliability (e.g., MTBF). Traditional approaches tovirtualization often use a processor that is shared among multipleapplications and multiple tenants by time-slicing the processor'sresources. This allows a single processor to host multiple applications,but drawbacks include greater latency and jitter, and extra overhead andhousekeeping required by the virtualization system. Furthermore,resources available to the various applications are largely uniform inscope, which limits the ability to balance application needs andperformance. As a result, systems running virtualization environmentstend toward very powerful processors, exacerbating power draw, coolingneeds, and reducing MTBF. In contrast, embodiments of the presentinvention allow for precise allocation of resources at a granular level,reducing overhead, increasing performance, and improving MTBF.

According to some embodiments, the NCUs 100 each include a dedicatedprocessor and onboard memory, and each NCU is dedicated to a singleapplication. Minimal housekeeping is required and resources do not needto be shared with other applications. The control system can assign aspecific type of processor (or multiple processors) to a singleapplication. Each NCU also includes enough onboard memory to house anoperating system, load resource data, and handle basic functions.Additional shared memory is allocated as needed. Flexible allocation ofresources enables the NCUs 100 to support specialized applications. Forexample, memory can be assigned as needed for applications that arememory-intensive, or additional I/O can be assigned for applicationsthat are I/O intensive. In this way, the resources available to aparticular application can be more individualized and more granular thanin standard approaches to virtualization.

Detailed analysis and control of available resources are necessary tomatch an application with the appropriate resources for optimalperformance. This is accomplished using appropriate controls andrelevant information gathered, such as performance data and thermalprofiles. In this way, an optimal balance between raw processing power,storage, memory, internal and external communication, individual memory,etc., can be achieved to maximize performance for each application andenhance overall system performance.

The precise and granular virtualization techniques provided byGreenMachine 10 enable the use of price-favorable commodity componentsand multiple NCU units within a small footprint. Modular components mayinclude different processors, memory units, I/O, security, specialtyunits, and long-life embedded components, for example. These factorshelp reduce overall system costs, allow for easier and more economicalupgrades, and provide improved application performance over time withoutsignificant system expense.

Noise Reduction

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine 10 provides noise reduction for amulti-node computer in a single desktop/server sized enclosure. Standardmulti-node computers, servers, and blade systems are typically meant fordatacenters and therefore their designs make little effort to reducenoise. Although the high density of NCUs 100 suggests an inevitableincrease in noise, the GreenMachine 10 design features characteristicsthat uniquely reduce noise to that of a single quiet desktop. In aconservative simulation with an ambient temperature of 25 degrees C.,the noise level was less than 40 dB. In a further simulation with anambient temperature of 40 degrees C., the noise level increased toaround 55 dB. The thin air channels 710 not only optimize efficiency butalso reduce air turbulence. Independent zones Z1, Z2 allow the coolingsystem to increase the speed of individual fans 708 only as needed.Finally, the shared power supplies 716 result in a reduction in theoverall number of fans 708 required. Overall, these attributes allowGreenMachine 10 to be used in noise sensitive environments that othercomputer architectures are not suitable for.

GreenMachine Cluster Computing

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine 10 provides high performancecluster processing capabilities of a multi-node computer in a singledesktop/server sized enclosure. Unlike other systems, includingmulti-node computers, of comparable physical size, power consumption, orcost, the GreenMachine 10 can be used as a high performancecomputational cluster contained within a single compact enclosure. Itaccomplishes this through the design of its modular NanoCompute Units100, integrated high bandwidth network fabric, and clustered softwaretechnology. As discussed above, each NCU 100 optionally contains: anembedded GPU 112 for graphics, video and floating point offload; and anembedded network processor 114 for communication and storage networkoffload. These components maximize the efficiency of each NCU 100, butare also ideal for high performance cluster computing utilizing aplurality of NCUs 100. Each NCU 100 has optionally an embedded GPU 112.The embedded GPUs 112 provide low level supports for floating offloadeither via CUDA or OpenCL.

Further GreenMachine Implementations:

The GreenMachine design can be applied in additional variations tofurther maximize its architectural advantages. FIGS. 9-12 illustrateseveral possible variations to further maximize the above advantages.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the NCU 100 may be implemented as a modular,upgradable processing subsystem for a green, re-useable laptop computer900. Due to its small size, an individual NCU 100 may be repackaged in anotebook computer enclosure 900. This packaging allows the majorcomponents of a notebook computer 900 to be upgraded while reusing thecasing, screen, keyboard, and ports.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, NCUs 100 may also be repackaged in otherconfigurations for specific applications, such as a home gatewayappliance. This allows the benefits listed above to be even more finelyoptimized for specific workloads and purposes.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, rack-frame packaging architecture formultiple GreenMachines in a datacenter infrastructure may beimplemented. Six GreenMachines may be packaged in a 3×2 row arrangementwith power distribution on the side of the rack and with a bottom-to-topair cooling design. FIG. 11 illustrates twelve GMs configured for astandard 31.5 inch rack, utilizing the 3×2 row arrangement, with eachlevel containing six GreenMachines. The open chassis structure of therack is not shown.

The low energy requirements of GreenMachine 10 enable additionalconfigurations where GreenMachines 10 are powered by batteries, such asin various consumer electronics devices. In addition to low powerdissipation due to component selection and power management, theGreenMachine power distribution design enables a system design outsideof laptop computers to be powered via battery, leveraging the enormousinvestments that have been going into battery research for electric carsand other applications. A battery pack may be designed either to fitinto the same space as the GreenMachine power supply modules or anexternal attached battery station similar to the laptop. A batterypowered GreenMachine would be able to take advantage ofsolar/alternative energy charging, optimization of peak energy usage,increased fault tolerance, and portability.

PCIe-Based Memory Fabric:

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine 10 may be implemented withPCIe-based Memory fabric for dynamic multi-node computer system.Replacing the Ethernet network fabric with a PCIe memory fabric is aunique feature of a computer system in a single enclosure. It allowsmuch higher bandwidth and low latency of all types of communicationbetween NCUs 100 and devices. It also allows for additional resourcesharing, power savings, and cost optimization.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12A-12D, a memory fabric 1200 integratedGreenMachine comprises: an integrated SCU 300 for system management andcontrols; embedded fabric processors 1202 for in-stream processing (e.g.memory copy, encryption, automatic data migration); extended memorysupport via fabric processors 1202 for NCUs 100; atomic complex (AC)lock facility 1204 for synchronization; auto data migration forhierarchical and heterogeneous memory infrastructure; TCP/IPmemory-based facility 1206 for inter-node communication (implemented bya software driver used by each NCU 100, such that the TCP/IPmemory-based facility 1206 may make use of the memory fabric); virtualI/O 1208 implementation for physical I/O device sharing (e.g. VNICs,VHBAs . . . ); and NCU native I/O console 1210 traffic (Video, USB,Audio) for remote thin clients. The PCIe memory fabric 1200 could beused to enable the following features unique to any type of commoditycomputer system: clock and power distribution design for aggregatingmultiple hardware cache coherence NCUs 100 into a DynamicMulti-Processor node (DMP), and a reflective memory mechanism foraggregating multiple NCUs 100 into a DMP node.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 12D, clock synchronization for lock-stepdual NCU Tandem Fault Tolerance node configuration (TFT), and Triple NCURedundant Fault Tolerance node configuration may be implemented. Thecost-savings and efficiency inherent in the use of NCUs 100 is leveragedinto the NCU Redundant Fault Tolerance configurations, wherein two NCUs100 (for dual) or three NCUs 100 (for triple) are used to implement theRedundant Fault Tolerance. Through voting by the fabric processors 1202after the two or three NCUs 100 have processed a result, processingfaults or errors may be identified and discarded, with only the correctresult sent on to memory 1208.

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine 10 may incorporate virtualizedlocal storage for dynamic, distributed storage support in a multi-nodecomputer system. By using a PCIe memory fabric 1200 in which PCI devices(real or virtual) can be connected to multiple NCUs 100, the use ofcentralized, shared, virtualized, and networked storage (as describedabove) can be extended to provide virtualized local disks. This has theadvantage of greater operating system support, higher performance, andreduced complexity. It also enables the unique support and use ofvirtualized and shared storage, such as heterogeneous storagehierarchies including cache, flash memories, and standard HDDs; andexternal storage (iSCSI, FC). The GreenMachine implementation features:full isolation; secure client access; and auto data migration by movingdata between storage levels to optimize for access latency andperformance.

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine may incorporate the use ofHibernation/Checkpoint/Restart technology for system load balancingwithin the components of a single enclosure. Hibernation, checkpoint,and restart technologies are typically deployed in high end faulttolerant systems, or in high performance computing clusters whereindividual processing jobs can take days. The GreenMachine architectureallows this technology to become useful within a single self-containedmachine for the purpose of dynamic resource allocation supportingmultiple workloads without requiring a unique adaptation of theHibernation/Checkpoint/Restart technology for the GreenMachinemulti-node computer system 10. In this implementation, the SCU 300 woulddetect idle NCUs 100 and checkpoint their state. The workload could besaved or moved to another NCU 100 at a later time. The SCU 300 wouldalso move hardware identities such as MAC addresses, along with thecheck pointed image. Hardware address relocation could be accomplishedeither by firmware management or by address virtualization.

In a further embodiment, GreenMachine may be scaled beyond a singleenclosure. Such scaling would include: NCC supporting multipleGreenMachines; Error Recovery and Fault Containment; and DomainPartitioning.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system, comprising: a singleenclosure; a plurality of nodes comprising: a processor; an onboardmemory; a real time clock synchronized by a first microcontroller; and acoprocessor configured to offload communication functions from theprocessor; a system control unit comprising a field effect transistorpowered by a second microcontroller for performing housekeeping tasks;and a carrier board comprising a system fabric and a plurality ofelectrical connections, the electrical connections providing arespective one of the plurality of nodes with power, managementcontrols, system connectivity between the system control unit and theplurality of nodes, and an external network connection to a userinfrastructure, wherein the system fabric comprises at least twohigh-speed switches controlling the system connectivity and providingshared memory access, wherein the system control unit and the carrierboard provide integrated, shared resources comprising at least one ofcooling and power resources for the plurality of nodes, wherein theprocessor is dedicated to execute instructions of an application, andwherein housekeeping tasks for executing the application are offloadedfrom the processor to the system control unit and the coprocessor. 2.The computer system of claim 1, wherein the system control unit isconfigured to load an operating system image on a first node when theapplication is to be executed by a processor of the first node.
 3. Thecomputer system of claim 2, wherein the operating system image comprisesa pre-configured operating system image, wherein loading thepre-configured operating system image on the first node reduces thenumber of housekeeping tasks performed before executing the application.4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the pre-configured operatingsystem image is configured to allocate resources to the application. 5.The computer system of claim 1, wherein the housekeeping tasks comprisea thermal management task.
 6. The computer system of claim 1, whereinhousekeeping tasks are offloaded from the processor to the systemcontrol unit and the coprocessor to reduce jitter of the nodes.
 7. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the system control unit controlspower management, cooling, workload provisioning, and native storageserving of the computer system.
 8. The computer system of claim 1,further comprising a plurality of microcontrollers that control aplurality of fans disposed within the single enclosure.
 9. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein the single enclosure is a notebook computerenclosure.
 10. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising asecurity unit that offloads security tasks from the processor andexecutes the security tasks to reduce latency of the nodes.
 11. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the system fabric is a dualredundant scalable system fabric.
 12. The computer system of claim 1,wherein a first node of the plurality of nodes is integrated as a singlechip.
 13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the system fabriccomprises a third switch for communicating with a service processornetwork.
 14. A computer system, comprising: an enclosure, wherein thecomputer system is provided in a single enclosure; a plurality of nodescomprising: a processor; an onboard memory comprising an instance of anoperating system; and a real time clock synchronized by a firstmicrocontroller; a shared memory accessible to the plurality of nodes; asystem control unit comprising a field effect transistor; and a carrierboard comprising a system fabric and a plurality of electricalconnections, the electrical connections providing a respective one ofthe plurality of nodes with power, management controls, systemconnectivity between the system control unit and the plurality of nodes,and an external network connection to a user infrastructure, wherein thesystem fabric comprises at least two high-speed switches controlling thesystem connectivity and providing memory access to the nodes; whereinthe system control unit and the carrier board provide integrated, sharedresources comprising at least one of cooling and power resources for theplurality of nodes, wherein the computer system is provided in a singleenclosure, wherein a first node of the plurality of nodes is dedicatedto execute instructions of an application, wherein the system controlunit allocates shared memory to the first node according to memoryrequirements of the application, and wherein housekeeping tasks forexecuting the application are offloaded from the processor to the systemcontrol unit.
 15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the firstnode of the plurality of nodes is dedicated to execute instructions ofthe application based on a processor type of the first node.
 16. Thecomputer system of claim 14, wherein a subset of nodes of the pluralityof nodes is dedicated to execute instructions of the application. 17.The computer system of claim 14, wherein the system control unit loadsan operating system image on the first node when the application is tobe executed by a processor of the first node.
 18. A computer system,comprising: an enclosure, wherein the computer system is provided in asingle enclosure; a plurality of nodes comprising: a processor; anonboard memory; a real time clock synchronized by a firstmicrocontroller; and a first temperature sensor; a shared memoryaccessible to the plurality of nodes; a system control unit comprising afield effect transistor and a second temperature sensor, whereinhousekeeping tasks are offloaded from the processor to the systemcontrol unit to execute an application using the processor; and acarrier board comprising: a third temperature sensor; a system fabric;and a plurality of electrical connections, the electrical connectionsproviding a respective one of the plurality of nodes with power,management controls, system connectivity between the system control unitand the plurality of nodes, and an external network connection to a userinfrastructure, wherein the system fabric comprises at least twohigh-speed switches controlling the system connectivity and providingmemory access to the nodes, wherein the system control unit and thecarrier board provide integrated, shared resources comprising at leastone of cooling and power resources for the plurality of nodes, whereinthe computer system is provided in a single enclosure, wherein thetemperature sensors monitor a temperature inside the single enclosure,and wherein the system control unit configures the plurality of nodesaccording to a temperature profile and the temperature inside the singleenclosure.
 19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the systemcontrol unit selectively controls power consumption of components withinthe single enclosure based on temperature readings of the temperaturesensors.
 20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the system controlunit selectively controls power consumption of components within thesingle enclosure by adjusting at least one of a voltage and a frequencyof said components.
 21. The computer system of claim 18, wherein theplurality of nodes log measurements of voltage throughput over time, andwherein the system control unit configures the plurality of nodesaccording to the voltage throughput.
 22. The computer system of claim21, wherein the system control unit configures the nodes according tothe voltage throughput to improve at least one of a longevity and areliability of the plurality of nodes.
 23. The computer system of claim18, further comprising a plurality of microcontrollers that control aplurality of fans disposed within the enclosure.
 24. The computer systemof claim 18, wherein the plurality of nodes log measurements of fanspeed and airflow over time, and wherein the system control unitconfigures the nodes according to the fan speed and the airflow.
 25. Thecomputer system of claim 18, wherein the system control unit reallocatesa task from a first node to a second node of the plurality of nodesbased on a temperature of said first node and a temperature of saidsecond node.
 26. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the systemcontrol unit reallocates a task from a first node to a second node theplurality of nodes based on a workload of said first node and a workloadof said second node.